Chapter 463: A Man Rules Cannot Bind! The Hammer, the Knife, the Chalk Line Coffin! Twin Ponytails!

He noticed that the chalk line markings on the coffin weren't perfectly aligned, which shouldn’t happen.

“This coffin was opened before!” Li Yanchu’s heart stirred.

A thoughtful look flashed in his eyes. If a

jiangshi

had broken out of the coffin, there was no way it would’ve put the lid back so neatly.

“Could it be someone who entered this dreamscape realm earlier?” he wondered.

He knew this dream world currently contained three demon slayers, plus Master Zhiqing and Zhang Wei, five people total.

No, wait... Strictly speaking, there should also be those who had disappeared before.

Whoosh... whoosh...

As he pondered, faint breathing came from inside the coffin. After a brief hesitation, Li Yanchu ultimately chose not to open it. Given the situation, the best choice was not to disturb the existing layout.

After all, even if there

was

a walking corpse or

jiangshi

shut in that chalk line coffin... since it had stayed inside all this time, it might not pose a threat at the moment.

And if it was a

person

? Anyone who dared lie inside a chalk line[1] coffin probably wasn’t mentally normal to begin with. Best to ignore him.

Holding his breath cautiously, Li Yanchu rushed up to the second floor in one go. After entering a dreamscape realm, the priority was to avoid triggering unnecessary events, as he didn’t want to get forced into going all out too early.

The second floor was a living space. The bedding was fairly clean, though cluttered with various odds and ends, such as incense paper, funeral money, things like that.

The moment he reached the second floor, the coffin downstairs made a faint sound, as if someone were lifting the lid. Something was coming out!

A normal person would probably jump out a window and escape, but since Li Yanchu dared to come up here, he clearly intended to keep exploring. Not only that, he even leaned out to look downstairs at the coffin. The lid had been pushed aside, and inside was pitch-black with nothing visible.

Li Yanchu was truly bold; he continued searching the second floor and found a protective talisman. However, he didn’t put it on immediately. Instead, he unfolded it and examined it.

“A House-Guarding Exorcising Talisman,” he recognized it at a glance.

This type was meant to be placed in a home to repel evil spirits. He tried sensing it carefully, but with his spiritual power gone, he couldn’t detect anything.

“

Decree of Bestowal!

” he imitated the great Dao-voice in his mind.

Still, nothing happened.

As expected, no exploiting glitches,

he thought.

He quickly folded the yellow talisman back into amulet form and kept it close. At least it wasn’t some spirit-raising or ghost-summoning charm. That would’ve been suicidal.

Finding nothing else, Li Yanchu sighed, “The blacksmith was dirt poor.”

He then headed straight downstairs. Even though he was on the second floor, jumping out the window was off the table. He might be physically stronger than an average person, but he was still just a normal human, so he gave up on that idea.

Downstairs, the coffin lid was once again perfectly sealed, this time even more precisely aligned than when he first arrived.

“This has got to be a ghost with OCD.”

Carrying his large iron hammer, Li Yanchu stomped down the stairs.

He was about to leave when suddenly, a sharp whooshing sound cut through the air beside his ear, then a black figure lunged at him!

Bang!

A powerful, explosive kick sent the figure flying, and a muffled groan followed. The figure dropped to one knee, clearly in pain.

Not a ghost or a jiangshi... but a person?

The thought flashed through Li Yanchu’s mind, but he didn’t hesitate, and immediately, he swung his hammer. The heavy weapon tore through the air and smashed downward.

In a situation like this, a sneaky ambush meant one thing: some bastard was up to no good, and Li Yanchu wanted to hammer him dead.

CLANG!

However, the iron hammer didn’t hit the shadowy figure. Although his martial arts strength was gone, his experience remained. That kick earlier, which was slow and weak in his own perception, was, to a normal person, explosive, fast, and vicious. Using the hammer actually wasn’t as handy as his own body.

After dodging the hammer strike, the shadow seemed startled. It hesitated only for a moment before pouncing again!

Crack!

Li Yanchu swung again, this time smashing the figure’s shin cleanly, then the person collapsed.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Li Yanchu brought the hammer down repeatedly, showing zero mercy.

The shadow on the ground was still twitching. Looking closer, Li Yanchu saw a mess of tangled hair and an ashen face; it was undeniably a

jiangshi

.

“No wonder it could take a beating.”

He swung the hammer again, breaking the jiangshi’s arms and legs into a grotesque, misshapen mess. Then he crouched down, expression blank, and used the kitchen knife to chop off the mangled limbs.

“Rarrgh!”

The jiangshi let out a low, guttural roar. Its blood and qi was absurdly strong, and it was extremely hard to kill. But with its limbs severed, it could no longer move. A low-level jiangshi like this could easily overturn someone without experience. It never expected to be completely destroyed by Li Yanchu’s brutal pure physical DPS.

Then, Li Yanchu turned around and suddenly kicked the coffin lid open.

“Get out. Or I’ll smash you to death.” His voice was ice cold.

A moment later, a young girl with twin ponytails cautiously sat up from inside the coffin.

She stammered, “D-Daoist Master, don’t kill me... I-I’m human.”

The twin-ponytailed girl was deathly pale, with no trace of blood in her face.

“Human?” Li Yanchu let out a cold sneer.

He grabbed her by the neck and yanked her out of the coffin. He then pressed the blood-stained, razor-sharp kitchen knife in his hand pressed against her throat.

“I just dismembered a

jiangshi

. And you dare try to bluff me? Don’t even think about fooling me!”

A terrifying aura surged out of him with killing intent flashing openly in his eyes.

In an instant, his entire demeanor shifted, and he became like a battle-hardened veteran who’d crawled out of a thousand battlefields.

The twin-ponytailed girl’s face drained even further of color as she hurried to explain, “I-I really am human! My name is Liu Jun[2], I’m from the Baiyi clan. My grandfather was part of the Liu clan. I secretly read the clan records and learned that the ancestral hall here had hauntings. I just wanted to come watch the excitement... but somehow I ended up in this strange town!”

Liu Jun was on the verge of tears.

“You think I’ll believe that!?” Li Yanchu scoffed. “Which normal person goes sightseeing because they want to see ghosts!?”

“It’s true! It’s true! I’m really a living being, please don’t kill me!” Liu Jun cried anxiously.

Li Yanchu stared at her twin ponytails, eyes cold. After a moment of silence, he released her pale neck. A bright red handprint was clearly visible on her skin.

Without Qi Sight, Spirit Eyes, or even basic spirit perception, identifying ghosts was no easy task.

“I believe you. Get up,” Li Yanchu said in a low voice.

The Baiyi clan were a minority of the Kingdom of Qian, famous for their handsome men and beautiful women good at singing and dancing. Their clothing and accessories differed slightly from those of the Central Plains.

In his master’s treasured collection of books, he had seen illustrations of beautiful Baiyi women so lifelike and vivid, it seemed almost real.

“You believe me?” Liu Jun asked joyfully.

What kind of reaction is that...?

Li Yanchu gave a slight nod.

“Thank you!” Liu Jun said earnestly.

Is this girl an idiot...?

Li Yanchu asked in a low voice, “What did your grandfather’s records say?”

1. The ink box, also called a chalk line, is a tool used by carpenters for snapping lines, and is indispensable in industries such as masonry, tiling, and pottery. It is traditionally credited to the inventor Lu Ban.

The tool consists of a round, container-like ink reservoir that holds the ink, with a string threaded through a hole to absorb the ink. The end of the inked string is fitted with a small wooden hook called a “Banmu”, said to have been invented by Lu Ban’s mother.

The Banmu is usually positioned about an inch above the ground. Once fixed, the inked string is snapped toward the ground, providing a straight horizontal reference line for the construction site. It can also be fixed at a higher position, allowing the ink box to hang freely. Using the weight of the ink box as a plumb, the inked string can be snapped against a wall to create a vertical reference line. ☜

2. The surname 刘 is one of the most common and historically significant surnames in China, associated with the imperial family of the Han Dynasty and numerous prominent figures throughout history. The given name 君 literally means “lord,” “ruler,” or “gentleman,” but in the context of a female name, it conveys qualities such as dignity, grace, and nobility. Using 君 for a girl can imply refinement, strength of character, and a sense of moral integrity, evoking the idea of someone admirable and respected.

To me, the name 刘君 balances commonality with a subtle sophistication. ☜